Hawks @ Boston Bruins 1-0 - Friday, January 20, 2017
The Chicago Blackhawks gave backup goaltender Scott Darling a rare start because they were playing the second game of their father-son trip. Darling rewarded the Blackhawks and the fathers with 30 saves, and Marian Hossa scored with 1:26 left in the third period for a 1-0 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. The 28-year-old goalie got his second shutout of the season in his first start since Jan. 6. It was Darling's fourth shutout for the Blackhawks (29-14-5), who are 6-2-0 in their past eight games. Darling makes his offseason home in nearby Essex, Massachusetts, making the game more important. Hossa hadn't scored in 10 games, seven since returning from a five-game absence because of an upper-body injury. He last scored in a 5-4 win at the New York Islanders on Dec. 15. Hossa, Vinnie Hinostroza and Tanner Kero combined for eight points (four goals, four assists) in a 6-4 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. The line got the winning goal Friday after a slow start. Tuukka Rask made 21 saves for the Bruins (23-20-6), who are 0-2-1 in their past three and 10-12-0 at home. The Bruins outshot the Blackhawks 25-14 in the first two periods and 30-22 for the game.
* Hinostroza gained the offensive zone and passed to Kero, who sent the puck across the slot and through defenseman Adam McQuaid's legs to Hossa for a one-timer from the left side.
"I tried to go to the net and the puck hit me right on the stick. I tried to shoot it as fast as possible and overall it was a nice goal," Hossa said.
"I don't know if you guys know who my goalie partner is but [Corey Crawford's] one of the best goalies in the world, hands down, no arguments. So I'm just pretty happy to get any games I can."
"I have a lot of friends and family that were here tonight. Obviously my dad, all the dads were there, so it was special for me. I'm still excited for every chance I get to play, but it's fun to play against some of these guys." Darling said.
* Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane deked his way past Riley Nash out high and then shot from the left dot, but Rask knocked away the puck at 7:31 of the second period.
* Off a center-ice faceoff, Bruins forward David Pastrnak skated around defenseman Duncan Keith and tested Darling from the right dot. The Chicago goaltender stopped Pastrnak's shot and then fell to the ice to deny Tim Schaller on the rebound before the Bruins went on a power play at 4:45 of the second period.
* Blackhawks defenseman Michal Kempny poke-checked the puck from Bruins forward Frank Vatrano at the Chicago blue line to get possession before Hossa's goal.
* Darling is the first Blackhawks goalie to shut out the Bruins in Boston since Tony Esposito on Jan. 17, 1970 (1-0), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Hossa has 17 goals this season, 10 in the third period or overtime. ... Bruins forward Matt Beleskey returned from a 23-game absence because of a knee injury. He had three hits in 11:06 of ice time. ... The Bruins, who lost 4-0 to the Islanders at TD Garden on Monday, were last shut out in consecutive home games Oct. 23 and 30, 2003.
"I don't know if you guys know who my goalie partner is but [Corey Crawford's] one of the best goalies in the world, hands down, no arguments. So I'm just pretty happy to get any games I can."
"I have a lot of friends and family that were here tonight. Obviously my dad, all the dads were there, so it was special for me. I'm still excited for every chance I get to play, but it's fun to play against some of these guys." Darling said.
"Well it definitely feels great, especially with our dads here. I had a great time. We obviously came here to play the game and we got four points out of two games, which is beautiful and successful." Hossa said.
"Yeah it wasn't our best start there. I think we got caught in our end a little bit, especially early on. So we just tried to stick with it, not get too frustrated and just kind of chip away." Kero said.
"Yeah it wasn't our best start there. I think we got caught in our end a little bit, especially early on. So we just tried to stick with it, not get too frustrated and just kind of chip away." Kero said.
Vancouver Canucks @ Hawks 2-4 - Sunday, January 22, 2017
Jonathan Toews hasn't played like himself much this season, but the Chicago Blackhawks captain came through in the clutch at United Center. Led by Toews' season-high four points, which included a goal with 1:18 left to break a tie, the Blackhawks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 for their third straight win.
Toews had three assists and right wing Richard Panik had a goal and assist to lead Chicago (30-14-5). Panik's shot late in the third period sailed wide of the net and led to Toews' game-winning goal at 18:42. The puck caromed off the end boards to Toews, who scored his first goal since Jan. 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa also scored, and Corey Crawford made 26 saves to become the fourth goalie in Blackhawks history to win 200 NHL career games. Ryan Miller made 31 saves for the Canucks (22-20-6), who tied it 2-2 on goals 46 seconds apart in the third by Troy Stecher and Bo Horvat. Stecher capped a power play with a long shot through traffic at 5:03 and Horvat scored at 5:49 off his own rebound. Vancouver fell to 5-14-3 on the road. The Blackhawks outshot the Canucks 18-9 in the first period and took a 2-0 lead on goals by Panik and Kane, who scored 3:03 apart. Panik scored his 11th goal with a one-timer from the high slot to make it 1-0 at 14:27. Kane made it 2-0 at 17:30 by scoring his 15th goal with a quick wrist shot from the right faceoff circle. The back-to-back goals by Stecher and Horvat tied it early in the third, when the Canucks outshot the Blackhawks 7-2 through the first 6:25 of the period.
* The Canucks pressed for a go-ahead goal late in the third period and nearly got it with 6:12 left. But Crawford prevented it by stopping a quick shot from the slot by Michael Chaput, just getting his left pad out in time.
* Horvat's goal in the third was the result of his own second effort. He charged to the net for the initial attempt and was stopped by Crawford's sprawling save. Horvat stayed after it and tied it 2-2 on the rebound for his 14th goal.
"We battled back hard and we did everything we could," said Sven Baertschi, who brought the puck into the Blackhawks zone. "Bo tied it there with a great goal for us. It gave us some energy."
* Marcus Kruger (hand) missed his 10th straight game. He participated in the Blackhawks' morning skate and could return this week. … Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell's assist on Panik's goal was his 500th NHL point. … Including Stanley Cup Playoff games, the Blackhawks had their 400th consecutive sellout at United Center. … Former Blackhawks forward Jeremy Roenick took the ice in uniform for the national anthems as part of Chicago's "One Last Shift" commemoration series.
"I felt pretty good tonight, but there's still some work to do. I don't think I'm at the level I was at before that surgery, but I'm working hard to get there." Corey Crawford on his play following an appendectomy Dec. 3
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Hawks 5-2 - Tuesday, January 24, 2017
The Tampa Bay Lightning scored four goals in the third period, two by Tyler Johnson in 30 seconds, to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 at United Center.
Tampa Bay (22-22-5) tied it 2-2 at 2:47 of the third on a goal by defenseman Nikita Nesterov. Johnson scored at 6:14 and 6:44 for a 4-2 lead. Nikita Kucherov scored into an empty net with 2:05 left. Tampa Bay had lost its past three games (0-2-1), but improved to 2-2-1 on a six-game road trip and 8-0-2 in its past 10 regular-season games against the Blackhawks (30-15-5).
The Lightning had a goal and assist from Brian Boyle, and two assists each from Valtteri Filppula and Alex Killorn. Andrei Vasilevskiy had 34 saves. Jonathan Toews had a goal and assist, Duncan Keith had a goal and Corey Crawford made 31 saves for Chicago. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Blackhawks, who lost in regulation for the first time when leading after two periods (16-1-1). Chicago was 78-0-5 since 2013-14 when leading in the regular season after two periods. Chicago took a 1-0 lead at 10:23 on Toews' goal following a give-and-go with Richard Panik. The Lightning tied it 1-1 at 18:35 when Boyle scored on a breakaway, which Filppula created with a nice play in the defensive zone followed by a pass in the neutral zone. Keith scored at 1:26 of the second period off a slap shot to make it 2-1, but Chicago couldn't beat Vasilevskiy on 14 shots in the third.
* Johnson's first goal put the Lightning up 3-2 and rewarded Killorn for a nice drop pass in the offensive zone. Johnson shot past Crawford to the far side from the right faceoff dot.
"It hasn't happened a whole lot. Even if we give up that lead we're finding ways to win those games. But tonight it was 2-1 and you're in a good spot, and even 2-2 you're in a good spot … then you give up two quick ones and all of a sudden you're chasing the game." Patrick Kane said.
"We can't be letting games like that slip away. I think the talk for a long time has been starting games a little bit better. I think we've been seeing that. Obviously, if we're in the right spot, we're in the driver's seat going into the third periods with a lead, whether it's one goal or more than that. We've got to find ways to play better." Jonathan Toews
* Johnson's first goal put the Lightning up 3-2 and rewarded Killorn for a nice drop pass in the offensive zone. Johnson shot past Crawford to the far side from the right faceoff dot.
* Boyle nearly scored a second goal with 2:21 left in the second period, but Crawford made a great skate save to deny his hard one-timer and preserve Chicago's 2-1 lead.
* Ryan Hartman used a spin move to keep a loose puck in the Tampa Bay zone prior to Toews' goal. He kept the puck away from Nesterov and sent a pass to Toews in the slot to set up the give-and-go play with Panik.
* Filppula knocked down Keith's chip into the Lightning zone, then sent a pass to Boyle. Boyle split Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson in the Chicago zone and beat Crawford with a backhand-forehand move.
* Marcus Kruger (hand) was activated off injured reserve but missed his 11th straight game. … Dennis Rasmussen missed Chicago's morning skate with an illness, but played 11:03. … Lightning defenseman Jason Garrison skated in warmups but sat out his second game with an illness. … Tampa Bay forward J.T. Brown returned after missing seven games with an upper-body injury.
"We can't be letting games like that slip away. I think the talk for a long time has been starting games a little bit better. I think we've been seeing that. Obviously, if we're in the right spot, we're in the driver's seat going into the third periods with a lead, whether it's one goal or more than that. We've got to find ways to play better." Jonathan Toews
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